What is a Family?
by Mala B
Summary: They’ve gotten home, but what about Naomi?


Summery: They've gotten home, but what about Naomi?  
  
* This follows from where Endgame left off.....  
  
What is a Family?  
  
By: Mala B. (LoneMala@hotmail.com)  
  
Naomi stared at the ball of blue and green.  
  
Earth.  
  
They had made it. Home.  
  
But had she?  
  
Captain Janeway had been talking with Admiral Paris for almost 20 minutes and in that time the natural euphoria of having surmounted insurmountable odds had worn off and Naomi was starting to feel ..... different. Left out.  
  
"Well Captain I can't wait to see you at Space dock. We'll all be waiting. Paris Out."  
  
Kathryn flopped back in her command chair with a silly grin on her face. They'd made it! They were home and only minutes from earth. The Borg hadn't stopped them, had in fact been their final means of making the incredible journey. She turned and locked eyes with her First Officer and saw the same joy at being home, tinged with apprehension.  
  
"Chakotay what's wrong?" He looked at her and then moved his gaze up behind their command chairs. When Janeway followed his gaze, she saw Naomi Wildman staring at the view screen with a blank look on her face.  
  
Naomi noticed the Captain looking at her and took the offered opportunity to do what she had wanted to do for the last 10 minutes.  
  
"Captain permission to leave the bridge?" she asked in formal but flat words.  
  
Janeway's heart constricted. Why hadn't she realized when she called her? Of course she wouldn't rejoice with the rest of them, to her this was....well a disaster. This was going to turn her world upside down and in her own rush to want to share her feelings, she hadn't considered Naomi's.  
  
"Permission granted."  
  
Naomi turned without a word or a backwards glance and entered the turbolift.  
  
Icheb was worried. He's had watched his young friend for the last few minutes and understood what she was feeling. For him, these sorts of changes were getting to be the norm, and he had prepared himself for this one by starting Academy courses. He would be accepted, after a fashion, but Naomi was different.  
  
She was unique, as unique as Seven of Nine in many ways, no wonder the two of them got on so good.  
  
"Captain, permission to leave the bridge?"  
  
Naomi's request startled Icheb out of his trance and he turned to look at the command pair. He watched as the Captain realised her mistake, however well intentioned and then watched as Naomi practically ran to the turbolift.  
  
Watching her go his chest started to feel tight and he longed to follow her. He too was bored with the sight of his new home, as he had already watched it for many hours in the astrometrics lab when first coming aboard Voyager. Right now his friend needed help and it looked his he was the only one to provide it. He knew that Naomi would not call her mother, she understood how much this homecoming meant to her and would not want to spoil it.  
  
"Captain permission to leave the bridge?" Icheb intoned.  
  
Janeway swung back around to look at the young Cadet.  
  
"Icheb?"  
  
Icheb cocked his head at the turbolift which had just recently left. "She needs me.", he stated simply.  
  
Kathryn nodded once, "Granted Cadet, please go help her, I'm afraid none of us can right now."  
  
Naomi was wondering aimlessly. She had initially gone to her quarters but had started to feel horrible upon realizing she may not be living there much longer and had to get out. She had not even considered calling her mother, she was on duty and Naomi knew that she wouldn't want to be disturbed. In her confusion she didn't realize this was probably the one time when her mother would not have minded her daughter being with her on shift. Her Mom had always talked to her about getting home but events had happened so quickly that they just hadn't had time to discuss the whole thing becoming a reality.  
  
She had then considered the mess hall but had quickly discarded that idea. If Neelix had still been there that might have been an option but...well, Chell just wasn't what she needed right now.  
  
The holodeck had also been a possibility but they were still locked down from their trip with the Borg. Everyone was still too enthralled with Earth to take the ship off yellow alert so the holodecks were also out of contention.  
  
That left her wandering. Then it suddenly occurred to her. Jefferies tubes! They had been the place where many of her more exciting childhood adventures had happened. She was almost too big to be crawling about in them now but unlike most other people she considered them a good place. They had been her 'alone' place. Even if it was just the one off her bedroom. It was small like she had been and she could talk and talk and no one, and nothing, would hear.  
  
She quickly located an access panel and crawled in head first. She had long ago memorized the maze of Jefferies tubes and knew exactly where she wanted to go, section 12 tube 13. She didn't know why she liked it so much, she just did. It was her safe place.  
  
Crawling she slowly made her way down and over and eventually came to the final hatch.  
  
Icheb sat waiting. He had known as soon as the computer told him Naomi was in the Jefferies tubes exactly where she was going. However, because he could take the lifts and didn't have to crawl the entire way he had gotten there long before her. She had shown him her 'special place' at about the same time Mezoti and the twins had left the ship saying, he could use if he felt the need to.  
  
Finally the hatch opened and Naomi tumbled out into the junction.  
  
"Computer lights one half" She said as she pulled herself up against the bulkhead.  
  
"Hello Naomi." Icheb intoned quietly.  
  
"AHHH!" shrieked the girl before her eyes adjusted enough for her to make out her best friend on the other side of the compartment. "Icheb, what are you doing here?" she managed to get out around her ragged breathing.  
  
"I asked to come and talk to you, and the Captain told me to." he answered bluntly.  
  
Naomi folded her legs up against her chest and rested her head on her knees. "I'm fine I just thought I would come here. There was no where else to go. I'm fine. Why don't you go and look up the Academy Entrance Exam, you'll need it soon won't you?" The bitterness in her voice was easy to recognize, even for him. Icheb slowly inched closer to her.  
  
He had not been Borg for almost three years now and had seen Naomi interacting with other members of the crew for just as long. They had become fast friends since the others had left and in his heart Icheb knew that he would do anything for his young friend. He also knew exactly what she needed.  
  
Naomi started as she felt arms wrapping around her.  
  
"It's okay Naomi, is this right?" Icheb had never initiated a hug with anyone before, even though Naomi has given him many spontaneous ones, and he wanted to get this one right. He didn't want to make things worse.  
  
Naomi smiled softly at her friends innocent question. He was so much older then she was, almost eight years in metal age, yet he was still much younger then her in many ways. "Oh Icheb you can't get a hug wrong, it's the thought behind it that counts."  
  
"Well then, I should tell you what I am thinking. Don't worry Naomi, no one will forget you or leave you or . . . at least I won't. I'm not going to the Academy right away, I have already talked to your mother about staying with you until things are . . .settled. I know Seven is going to stay around too and I think many of the others are going to cluster around your place of residence. No one wants to go far from you, do you not realize that? They love you as much as you love them."  
  
Naomi was crying. The silent pain freeing kind of crying that every hurting soul needs in order to heal itself. She HAD been so worried about what was going to happen when they got back. She knew that the Maquis were free and that Uncle Tom was going to be able to stay in Starfleet but . . . they hadn't told her the rest. They hadn't told her about staying together.  
  
"You mean it? You've already figured this out?"  
  
Icheb slowly lifted a finger and wiped a tear from the young girl's cheek. "Yes. I couldn't leave you. Don't you realize that? You are my family Naomi. You, Seven, the Captain, the Commander and the rest of the ship. They're your family too. Didn't you realize that?" Icheb was suddenly struck by Naomi's facial expression. She had never considered it! She hadn't realized this.  
  
"But . . . my Mom is my family? How can they be my family?"  
  
"Tom's your Uncle isn't he? B'Elanna is your Aunt isn't she?"  
  
"Yes but . . . they're just . . . they aren't . . . " Suddenly a radiant smile lit her face as it suddenly hit her. She had taken the rest of the crew for granted all her life. She had never given them the label of family because they had always been there. They just were. Now she fully understood what Icheb was trying to tell her.  
  
This time it was Naomi who started the hug, nearly knocking Icheb, off balance in the process. "Oh Icheb I've been worrying for nothing haven't I? Captain Janeway won't let anything happen to anybody and . . . oh dear I hope no one is worrying about me."  
  
Icheb managed to untangle the two of them and sit up with the young girl in his lap. "Remember Naomi things aren't going to be that way for a while. The entire ship has to be debriefed and updated on what's going on. It'll be a while before they can start taking any shoreleave. But until then we'll all be held together I would imagine. And even if we are separated for a while, I think I have to go to Starfleet medical for an intensive exam with Seven, we'll all come back together in the end. We always have, haven't we?" Icheb smiled at the radiant glow in his friends face. Suddenly he understood what it was to be loved because he saw it shining from her smile.  
  
Naomi hugged him again and they stayed that way for many minutes, only stirring when her legs started to fall asleep.  
  
"I think I need to see Captain Janeway, you said she sent you? She must be worried. I don't think the Captain's Assistant is supposed to worry the Captain, she's supposed to help." she explained with an impish smile.  
  
Icheb smiled and nodded silently while he gestured for her to crawl first into the Jefferies tube leading to the nearest corridor.  
  
On the bridge Kathryn was again talking to Chakotay but had moved onto other topics both agreeing that Icheb would watch out for their young charge.  
  
Naomi stood silently at the doors of the turbolift with Icheb behind her. "Permission to come on the bridge Captain?" she asked with deliberately flat subdued tones.  
  
"Naomi, Icheb? Oh permission granted." She swung herself out of her seat and eyed  
  
Samantha Wildman who had come up to the bridge only a short time earlier. She had been tracking her daughter since Janeway had told her about Naomi's abrupt departure and Icheb's quick chase. She too moved in Naomi's direction. "Are you alright honey?" she asked, concern in her voice.  
  
Icheb tried to catch Samantha's eye to tell her that everything was a fine but she was too focussed on her daughter. So he stood back to wait.  
  
"Yes Mom, I'm fine. You see Icheb helped me realise something." Naomi was having a hard time keeping her face straight and was starting to feel bad about worrying everyone so much.  
  
"What that's Ms. Wildman?" asked the Captain.  
  
"Oh, just that we're family and families always stick together." Suddenly she grinned with so much happiness that those closest to her couldn't help but smile back.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the characters and all other Star Trek related information, I'm just getting a story out of my head. No copyright infringement intended 


End file.
